Every so often I go back and watch some GW on YouTube. And he was uncanny in his ability to get away from the pass rush (line was often a sieve) and keep his eyes downfield.
He did not have the benefit of ANY really fast WRs during his tenure (Ayers ran a 4.7). But Ward’s ability to make Defenders miss him is the backfield opened up a ton of throws downfield.
He also completed always in the upper 60% or near 70% of his passes.
And he is lightning fast.
D. Watson is a HUGE talent. But what made him successful was BOB getting him outside the pocket where he could use his athleticism.
Sure, I’m a homer. Bit like Watson, all Ward did was win. He was crazy strong for his size and faster and more elusive in the pocket than just about anyone.
I thought he would have been a great replacement for Watson when he went down instead of the retreads BOB brought in. There is no way Ward could have done any worse. I don’t think he will ever get a shot. But he is an exceptional QB who works extremely hard and despite his stature made the Big Brand name teams look bad on a regular basis. Would love to see him get a shot to back up Watson.
I think Ward could have success in limited spots right now. Think his freshman year where he needed to learn the game. Problem is, he’ll probably never get a shot because he doesn’t fit the profile of an NFL QB. BOB will never take a shot on him just like he was never interested in Case. He’s with a good organization in Philly right now; hopefully, they give him a true shot at WR and think outside the box with him. Too much talent and work ethic to just give up on.
BOB is the worst coach in the NFL. Under him D. Watson was 3 - 3 as a starter and got his knee blown out. G. Ward is fortunate that he is not with the Texans.
When you look around the league and see how crappy the QBs are, I would put Ward in asap! He may not make it for the entire season but at least he would move the offense.
If I am not mistaken, he was a candidate to win the Heisman…AS A QB.
Ayers ran a 4.5. Ward had something special on 3rd down and in crunch time. A weak arm though and couldn’t connect on long balls. He is just too limited in the NFL as a QB. He will last longer as a WR.
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Ayers ran a 4.72 at the combine.
Dropped him a few rounds.
That is what I thought regarding Ayers combine 40 time.
And I don’t remember Ward’s arm being a liability. We almost never threw a long route because our receivers were too slow. That is why when GW extended the play the were able to get open deep and sit in empty spaces.
Ward was such a great athlete. The practice reports from the Eagles are pretty much non-existent, but it’s my understanding that he has been QBing the scout team all year. Hopefully he makes the active roster next year in a team as a WR.
No. He’s not a quarterback anymore. And considering how frequently he got banged up on college, he would have the same issues in the NFL. Transitioning to WR was the right move for him. May be diffficult for him to get off the practice squad circuit, but now that he’s had so much experience at another position, it’s not very typical he would go back to his college role.
I see WR taking more bad shots than QBs these days.
I think he is smart enough not to take on 250 lb linebackers.
But his ability to buy time was uncanny and frustrating for the blue bloods.
I would just like to see him get a chance like CK finally got a chance. Not all great QBs are 6’4" tall with big arms.
Montana, Griese, Tarkington, we’re all smaller, lesser athletes, but they made the plays when they counted. And THAT is what matters. I think GW did it at every level against the best competition and would be very good in the pros…given the chance ( better than UL’s Jackson) for sure).
I think Ward would definitely be fun to watch as QB in the NFL but damn near EVERYONE is fast in the NFL and many of the guys he slipped away from in college would probably get pretty close to running him down in the pros.
He out played OU, FSU, Pitt and some other teams with NFL draft picks. He would adjust just like the other athletic qbs adjust. How tall is Russel Wilson?
Why do some NFL clubs continue to roll out the tall statues?
It’s not that the NFL is just rolling out tall statues. It’s that these statues had College completion percentages of 55%. They were not even that accurate, even with good running games.
Ward was around 70%. Getting the ball to the receiver is more important being big or strong armed.